Natural Anti Aging Skin Care

Until lye became available in regular household supply stores, lye soap was produced with ingredients available at home. Lye was made from the wood ashes remaining in the stoves, while lard, another basic ingredient necessary for soap making came from the hogs usually killed in fall to create a meat source over the winter. Lye has very powerful caustic properties and this is the reason why it has been banned from many states because of the danger it poses to the skin. Yet, well-made lye soap uses a carefully established amount of lye that is not too concentrated for the soap to burn the skin nor too little to prevent it from reaching the necessary hardness.

Lye soap is made by mixing lard and lye over an intense heat source; the process involves continuous stirring, and it could extend over several hours. When the boiling process gets complete, the lye soap is poured into metal, wood, glass or plastic molds where it is left to dry and harden. This remaining part of the process could last up to a month. Afterwards, the lye soap is good to use for a variety of purposes, and it is according to the household needs that one chooses to cut larger or smaller soap bars.

Lye soap is more and more rarely produced at home due to the huge amount of work it involves. You can nevertheless find it with soap manufacturers that sell their products in specialty bath shops or on Internet sites. The classic lard-based recipe of the lye soap is often substituted by the variant with vegetable oils and fragrances included that not only clean but also soothe the skin. Coconut, jojoba and aloe oils and extracts are just a few examples of the lard substitutes available with many skin care products.

Besides the basic cleaning properties, there are some further advantages to the use of lye soap. Thus, it is well known that the use of lye soap reduces the itching caused by insect bites, but it is also recommended in the treatment of dermatological skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, eczema or athlete’s foot. Last but not least, many people still hold lye soap in high esteem and prefer it for clothes bleaching and stain removal. In this form it is considered more suitable than other rather harmful bleaching agents that could deteriorate the fabric and cause skin problems too.